Kiss’ Gene Simmons, appearing in full makeup and regalia, had some choice words for a few of today’s charttopping singers, even as he announced a new 40-date North American tour with Motley Crue.

“We are sick and tired of girls getting up there with dancers and karaoke tapes,” Simmons said, in a press conference video attached below. “What you’re going to hear on stage is live music. All the bombs are real. All the music is real.”

This is the first time that Kiss and Motley Crue, who boast combined album sales of almost 200 million, will share a stage since 1982. This co-headlining jaunt, simply called “The Tour,” will begin in Bristow, Va., on July 20, with each band playing a 90-minute set. Announced tour dates are below.

“The guys you see on stage are playing their instruments,” Simmons added. “No karaoke singers allowed. No fake bullshit. Leave that to Rihanna. This is real stuff.”

Here’s a look back at our recent thoughts on Kiss and Motley Crue. Click through the titles for complete reviews …

SOMETHING ELSE! FEATURED ARTIST: KISS: News that Kiss is back in the studio, working toward the 2012 release of a new project called Monster, got us scurrying back to our old album collections. And not just because of those fond memories of playing air guitar with former guitarist Ace Frehley during Kiss Alive. Bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons said something interesting about the sessions: “This new record feels heavier than (2009’s) Sonic Boom. It feels like a connection between Destroyer and Revenge. Those were but two of the favorites we discussed here.

FORGOTTEN SERIES: MOTLEY CRUE – MOTLEY CRUE (1994): John Corabi, former vocalist of The Scream, brought a second guitar and a gruff, ragged edge to the vocals. It was a stark contrast to Neil’s high-pitched tones, and though I may earn the ire of many Motley Crue fans — one that lives with me, included — by saying this, Neil’s vocals can’t touch what’s on this record. Corabi’s voice also brought a rougher, heavier edge to the music. Though many Motley Crue fans dislike the album because of Neil’s absence, no one can deny that it’s the band’s heaviest and most mature record — mature, of course, being a relative term where Motley Crue is involved. Lyrically, the songs are still littered with drug references and party themes, but musically, there’s a definite growth.

FORGOTTEN SERIES: KISS – REVENGE (1992): There is one non-makeup Kiss record that certainly belongs in the conversation with the band’s best work. Released in 1992, Revenge came on the tail of two snoozers — 1987’s Crazy Nights and 1989’s Hot in the Shade — that were completely lost in the keyboard-laden, ballad-heavy 1980s radio rock sound. Revenge, though, was a different beast. There were still plenty of mindless sex and party anthems. It wouldn’t be a Kiss record without those. But there was a darker, heavier edge to the album, which was loaded with Gene Simmons’ gruffer vocals.

The Something Else! webzine, an accredited Google News affiliate, has been featured in The New York Times and NPR.com's A Blog Supreme, while our writers have also been published by USA Today, Jazz.com and UltimateClassicRock.com, among others. Contact Something Else! at reviews@somethingelsereviews.com.